Mud bank colonization by opportunistic mangroves: A case study from French Guiana using lidar data

Mud bank colonization by mangroves on the Amazon-influenced coast of French Guiana was studied using light detection and ranging (lidar) data which provide unique information on canopy geometry an sub-canopy topography. The role of topography was assessed through analysis of vegetation characteristics derived from these data. Measurements and analyses of mangrove expansion rates over space and time led to the identification of two distinct colonization processes. The first involves regular step-by-step mangrove expansion to the northwest of the experimental site. The second is qualified as ‘opportunistic’ since it involves a clear relationship between specific ecological characteristics of pioneer Avicennia and mud cracks affecting the mud bank surface and for which probabilities of occurrence were computed from terrain elevations. It is argued from an original analysis of the latter relationship that mud cracks cannot be solely viewed as water stress features that reflect desiccation potentially harmful to plant growth. Indeed, our results tend to demonstrate that they significantly enhance the propensity for mangroves to anchor and take root, thus leading to the colonization of tens of hectares in a few days. The limits and potential of lidar data are discussed with reference to the study of muddy coasts. Finally, the findings of the study are reconsidered within the context of a better understanding of both topography and vegetation characteristics on mangrove-fringed muddy coasts.     

A New Interlaboratory Characterisation of Silicon,Rare Earth Elements and Twenty‐Two Other Trace Element Concentrations in the Natural River Water Certified Reference Material SLRS‐6 (NRC‐CNRC)

The natural river water reference material SLRS‐6 (NRC‐CNRC) is the newest batch of a quality control material routinely used in many international environmental laboratories. This work presents a nine‐laboratory compilation of measurements of major and trace element concentrations and their related uncertainties, unavailable in the NRC‐CNRC certificate (B, Cs, Li, Ga, Ge, Hf, Nb, P, Rb, Rh, Re, S, Sc, Se, Si, Sn, Th, Ti, Tl, W, Y, Y, Zr and REEs). Measurements were mostly made using inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometry. The results are compared with equivalent data for the last batch of the material, SLRS‐5, measured simultaneously with SLRS‐6 in this study. In general, very low concentrations, close to the quantification limits, were found in the new batch. The Sr isotopic ratio is also reported.     

The geology of Hotei Regio, Titan: Correlation of Cassini VIMS and RADAR

Joint Cassini VIMS and RADAR SAR data of ∼700-km-wide Hotei Regio reveal a rich collection of geological features that correlate between the two sets of images. The degree of correlation is greater than anywhere else seen on Titan. Central to Hotei Regio is a basin filled with cryovolcanic flows that are anomalously bright in VIMS data (in particular at 5 μm) and quite variable in roughness in SAR. The edges of the flows are dark in SAR data and appear to overrun a VIMS-bright substrate. SAR-stereo topography shows the flows to be viscous, 100-200 m thick. On its southern edge the basin is ringed by higher (∼1 km) mountainous terrain. The mountains show mixed texture in SAR data: some regions are extremely rough, exhibit low and spectrally neutral albedo in VIMS data and may be partly coated with darker hydrocarbons. Around the southern margin of Hotei Regio, the SAR image shows several large, dendritic, radar-bright channels that flow down from the mountainous terrain and terminate in dark blue patches, seen in VIMS images, whose infrared color is consistent with enrichment in water ice. The patches are in depressions that we interpret to be filled with fluvial deposits eroded and transported by liquid methane in the channels. In the VIMS images the dark blue patches are encased in a latticework of lighter bands that we suggest to demark a set of circumferential and radial fault systems bounding structural depressions. Conceivably the circular features are tectonic structures that are remnant from an ancient impact structure. We suggest that impact-generated structures may have simply served as zones of weakness; no direct causal connection, such as impact-induced volcanism, is implied. We also speculate that two large dark features lying on the northern margin of Hotei Regio could be calderas. In summary the preservation of such a broad suite of VIMS infrared color variations and the detailed correlation with features in the SAR image and SAR topography evidence a complex set of geological processes (pluvial, fluvial, tectonic, cryovolcanic, impact) that have likely remained active up to very recent geological time (<10⁴ year). That the cryovolcanic flows are excessively bright in the infrared, particularly at 5 μm, might signal ongoing geological activity. One study [Nelson, R.M., and 28 colleagues, 2009. Icarus 199, 429-441] reported significant 2-μm albedo changes in VIMS data for Hotei Arcus acquired between 2004 and 2006, that were interpreted as evidence for such activity. However in our review of that work, we do not agree that such evidence has yet been found.     

A search for ethane on Pluto and Triton

We present here a search for solid ethane, C₂H₆, on the surfaces of Pluto and Triton, based on near-infrared spectral observations in the H and K bands (1.4-2.45 μm) using the Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope (UKIRT). We model each surface using a radiative transfer model based on Hapke theory (Hapke, B. [1993]. Theory of Reflectance and Emittance Spectroscopy. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK) with three basic models: without ethane, with pure ethane, and with ethane diluted in nitrogen. On Pluto we detect weak features near 2.27, 2.405, 2.457, and 2.461 μm that match the strongest features of pure ethane. An additional feature seen at 2.317 μm is shifted to longer wavelengths than ethane by at least 0.002 μm. The strength of the features seen in the models suggests that pure ethane is limited to no more than a few percent of the surface of Pluto. On Triton, features in the H band could potentially be explained by ethane diluted in N₂, however, the lack of corresponding features in the K band makes this unlikely (also noted by Quirico et al. (Quirico, E., Doute, S., Schmitt, B., de Bergh, C., Cruikshank, D.P., Owen, T.C., Geballe, T.R., Roush, T.L. [1999]. Icarus 139, 159-178)). While Cruikshank et al. (Cruikshank, D.P., Mason, R.E., Dalle Ore, C.M., Bernstein, M.P., Quirico, E., Mastrapa, R.M., Emery, J.P., Owen, T.C. [2006]. Bull. Am. Astron. Soc. 38, 518) find that the 2.406-μm feature on Triton could not be completely due to ¹³CO, our models show that it could not be accounted for entirely by ethane either. The multiple origin of this feature complicates constraints on the contribution of ethane for both bodies.     

Toward an early warning system for dengue prevention: modeling climate impact on dengue transmission

Dengue fever is the most prevalent mosquito-borne viral disease of humans in tropical lands. As an efficient vaccine is not yet available, the only means to prevent epidemics is to control mosquito populations. These are influenced by human behavior and climatic conditions and thus, need constant effort and are very expansive. Examples of succeeded prevention are rare because of the continuous reintroduction of virus or vector from outside, or growing resistance of mosquito populations to insecticides. Climate variability and global warming are other factors which may favour epidemics of dengue. During a pilot study in Claris EC project, a model for the transmission of dengue was built, to serve as a tool for estimating the risk of epidemic transmission and eventually forecasting the risk under climatic change scenarios. An ultimate objective would be to use the model as an early warning system with meteorological forecasts as input, thus allowing better decision making and prevention.     

Relationships between field-aligned currents and convection observed by EISCAT and implications concerning the mechanism that produces region-2 currents: Statistical study

Fluid theories explain the origin of region-2 field-aligned currents as the closure of the ring current, driven itself by the azimuthal pressure gradients generated in the magnetospheric ring plasma by the sunward convection. Although the structure of pressure gradients appears experimentally complex, observations confirm that a close connection exists between the region-2 field-aligned currents and the ring current. The fluid linear theory of the adiabatic transport by convection of the ring plasma gives a first estimate of this process, and leads ultimately to phase quadrature (in terms of magnetic local time) between the region-2 field-aligned currents and the convection potential. When significant non-adiabatic processes are taken into account, such as precipitations at auroral latitudes, the theoretical phase difference rotates toward opposition. We determine experimentally the phase relationship between the region-2 field-aligned currents and the convection potential from recent statistics, depending on the magnetic activity index K_p, and performed from the EISCAT data base. For geometrical reasons of sufficient probing of region 2, it is only computed in the case of a moderate magnetic activity corresponding to 2\leqK_p<4. Region-2 field-aligned currents are found to be in phase opposition with the convection electrostatic potential at auroral latitudes. This confirms the importance of non adiabatic processes, especially ion losses, in the generation of region-2 field-aligned currents, as theoretically suggested.     

An Aeronautical Temporal GIS for Post-Flight Assessment of Navigation Performance

This paper describes the design and development of an experimental GIS prototype that may be used to assist experienced pilots, student pilots and flight instructors for post-flight evaluation of navigation performance. The system is developed as a GIS experimental application which employs geographical data derived from the Digital Chart of the World integrated with airspace data derived from the ICAO 1:500,000 Aeronautical Chart. Real-time data are collected and integrated within a monitoring computing environment from external sensors which include GPS, altitude and relative motion sensors. This enables the generation of multi-layered digital maps and navigation data capable of being rapidly re-configured to enhance visualization by abstraction. The integration of real time navigation data with geographical data facilitates airborne decision-making, cockpit management, and makes a valuable contribution to flight safety.     

Topology-based proximities in spatial systems

This paper introduces several topology-based measures that characterise proximity relationships between regions in a spatial system. These measures are derived from a relative adjacency operator that is computed from the dual graph of a spatial system. The operator is flexible as the respective importance of neighbouring and outlying regions can be parameterised. Given a reference region in a spatial system, we also show how the relative adjacency supports the analysis of the relative distribution of other regions, and how these regions are clustered with respect to that reference region. Extensions of the relative adjacency integrate additional spatial and thematic criteria. The properties of the relative adjacency are illustrated by means of reference examples and a case study.The authors thank the referees for their constructive comments and suggestions that significantly improved the quality of the paper.     

Panta Rhei 2013–2015: global perspectives on hydrology,society and change

ABSTRACT

In 2013, the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS) launched the hydrological decade 2013–2022 with the theme “Panta Rhei: Change in Hydrology and Society”. The decade recognizes the urgency of hydrological research to understand and predict the interactions of society and water, to support sustainable water resource use under changing climatic and environmental conditions. This paper reports on the first Panta Rhei biennium 2013–2015, providing a comprehensive resource that describes the scope and direction of Panta Rhei. We bring together the knowledge of all the Panta Rhei working groups, to summarize the most pressing research questions and how the hydrological community is progressing towards those goals. We draw out interconnections between different strands of research, and reflect on the need to take a global view on hydrology in the current era of human impacts and environmental change. Finally, we look back to the six driving science questions identified at the outset of Panta Rhei, to quantify progress towards those aims.

Editor D. Koutsoyiannis; Associate editor not assigned     

In situ oxygen uptake rates by coastal sediments under the influence of the Rhône River (NW Mediterranean Sea)

The influence of riverine inputs on biogeochemical cycling and organic matter recycling in sediments on the continental shelf off the Rhône River mouth (NW Mediterranean Sea) was investigated by measuring sediment oxygen uptake rates using a combination of in situ and laboratory techniques. Four stations were investigated during two cruises in June 2001 and June 2002, with depths ranging from 9 to 192 m and over a distance to the Rhône River mouth ranging from 4 to 36 km. Diffusive oxygen uptake (DOU) rates were determined using an in situ sediment microprofiler and total oxygen uptake (TOU) rates were measured using sediment core incubations. There was good agreement between these two techniques which indicates that the non-diffusive fraction of the oxygen flux was minimal at the investigated stations. DOU rates ranged from 3.7±0.4 mmol O₂ m⁻² d⁻¹ at the continental shelf break to 19.3±0.5 mmol O₂ m⁻² d⁻¹ in front of the Rhône River mouth. Sediment oxygen uptake rates mostly decreased with increasing depth and with distance from the Rhône mouth. The highest oxygen uptake rate was observed at 63 m on the Rhône prodelta, corresponding to intense remineralization of organic matter. This oxygen uptake rate was much larger than expected for the increasing bathymetry, which indicates that biogeochemical cycles and benthic deposition are largely influenced by the Rhône River inputs. This functioning was also supported by the detailed spatial distribution of total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN) and C/N atomic ratio in surficial sediments. Sediments of the Rhône prodelta are enriched in organic carbon (2–2.2%) relative to the continental shelf sediments (<1%) and showed C/N ratios exceeding Redfield stoichiometry for fresh marine organic matter. A positive exponential correlation was found between DOU and TOC contents (r²=0.98, n=4). South-westward of the Rhône River mouth, sediments contained highly degraded organic matter of both terrestrial and marine origin, due to direct inputs from the Rhône River, sedimentation of marine organic matter and organic material redeposition after resuspension events.